5 Best Detox Foods
If I could pick a few buzz words that plateaued in 2013 and are still popping up, detox is one of them. With stronger chemicals in the air, water, medications, and foods, the risk for exposure is much greater than it used to be.
Food plays a major role in the body’s ability to eliminate all toxins and chemicals. Foods can either feed, clean and rebuild you, or they can destroy you. In order to detoxify, it is important to understand the difference between acid forming foods (destructive to cells and tissues) and alkaline-forming foods (enhance cellular function).
Consumption of alkaline-forming foods, which are mainly, unprocessed, organic, fruits and vegetables, will begin the detoxification and rehydration process. If you are looking to speed things up, these fruits and vegetables must all be raw. To accelerate and take the detoxification to a higher level, you may stick to fresh raw fruits only. Fruits have the highest amounts of antioxidants and astringent properties of all foods, but please note that a fresh fruit-only diet can sometimes stir up mucus and toxins in the body, leaving you with noticeable side effects.
It is important to understand the severity of a detox, as well as the effects it can have on your body if you do not consult a licensed practitioner. For example, if you are someone that has been eating a typical diet of predominantly cooked foods, dairy (very mucus forming) and even processed foods, jumping into a strict detox too quickly can cause adverse effects. I have witnessed severe cleansing reactions including skin rashes, head-aches and flu-like symptoms from those people who have gone from the SAD (Standard American Diet) to a detox too quickly without consultation.
If a detox is not something you were looking to explore, but would like to introduce the top detoxifying foods into your diet, here are my top five picks.
5 Detox Superfoods
LEMONS:
Start your day off with warm glass of water and the juice of one lemon. It is very cleansing and will enhance your digestion.
ALL RAW FRUITS:
My favorite way to start the day, especially after training, is to have a fruit smoothie. If you have a Vita mix , or any other powerful blender, try adding berries, a pear, and a banana to water or coconut water with some chia or hemp seeds. Do not throw away the seeds; this is where all the enzymes are. This smoothie is full of nutrients and fiber, and will keep the energy juices flowing all morning.
LEAFY GREENS:
Chlorophyll is a plant-based compound that is extremely alkalizing, found in all dark green leafy vegetables.
RAW VEGETABLES:
Juicing is another way to get a large amount of minerals and vitamins into your diet. You could never eat a whole kale, an entire head of celery, a large English cucumber, a few carrots and an apple in one sitting, but you can certainly drink it! Juicing and fruit smoothies are tremendous boosts for your lymphatic system (the septic tank of your body). Nothing can get the lymph moving as fast as raw fruits and vegetables.
WATER:
Please try to drink more water. A formula that I recommend is one litre for every 40 pounds of body weight. You must add to that if you are obese, and if exercising in the heat.
To ease into a detox program, it is wiser to start with consuming an all-raw diet of BOTH fruits and vegetables for a few weeks. This will allow for a gentler, slower, cleansing process.
